Os Mutantes (Brazil)

Os Mutantes are one of the most groundbreaking bands of the psychedelic era of the late sixties, with an influence still heard in contemporary experimental pop and rock. The band started as a collaboration between the brothers Sérgio and Arnaldo Baptista, and got their sci fi-inspired name Os Mutantes (“The Mutants”) in 1966. They became quickly involved with the Tropicália movement, combining influences from The Beatles, Hendrix and Sly & the Family Stone with Brazilian music and the avant garde. Their self titled debut album is an enduring classic, they participated on the Tropicália sampler Ou Panis et Circenses, worked as the backing band for Caetano Veloso and experimented with hard rock, prog music and beyond.

Throughout the years, many musicians have paid tribute to Os Mutantes, from David Byrne to Beck. In 2006, they performed their first live show since 1978, at the Barbican Arts Centre in London. The concert was a success, and since then they have been active, both on stage and in the studio. Their last album, Zzyzx from 2020, shows a vital and playful group, still in touch with their experimental roots. Their live show is the stuff of legend. Os Mutantes will visit an edition of Oslo World where their old collaborator, Caetano Veloso will perform his very first show in Norway. It makes Tropicália a recurring motif of the 2023 festival - but in many ways, the influence of Os Mutantes can always be heard at Oslo World, a living Brazilian ghost in the experimental music machine, prompting generations of musicians to reach further in their quest for ecstasy.